When God doesn't Heal.

"Why don't we go to the elders and have them anoint me with oil and pray over me", asked Maggie when she was sick and near death.
"Why don't we"? "Why don't we"? I asked myself. "Why"?
"I don't know. I suppose we could".
"Well, it says in the bible to go to the elders if you are sick", Maggie said.
"I know".

After some time, maybe six months? I don't know, but after waaaaay too much time, I finally agreed to go to the elders and have them anoint Maggie with oil and pray for her.

Why so long? One reason--unbelief. Which of course, is rooted in pride.
I am a Mr. Fix it, so I felt like we could handle it without 'bothering' any one else. Wrong.
Also, I had an unbelieving attitude that thought if God chose not to heal Maggie then we'd be embarrassed. That sounds so odd and stupid even to say it in a sentence. Have I not even read the bible? God chooses to heal some and not others all the time. Why should we be any different? Unbelief? Pride? Fill in your sin of choice. Go ahead, judge me, I am.

The anointing

The day came when Maggie went to the elders just as James instructs us to. They anointed her with oil and prayed for her.
Now the waiting.
Come on God--where is the lightning? The loud clap of thunder and deep voice from heaven.
"This is my beloved daughter and I heal her".

Nothing.

We went home.

Nothing.

Then something!

It was a miracle! Maggie was raised from the dead!!!

Just kidding.

No, she wasn't. As a matter of fact, she only got better slowly after doctor visits, diet change and thyroid meds. Five years later she still suffers with chronic illness.

So what was the something?

The something was the change in our hearts. We realized we did the right thing. We knew that God does miracles to bring glory to Himself and to send or confirm a certain message. God doesn't heal us just because we ask. If it's not in His plans--it ain't going to happen.

We obeyed. Just as we should. We included the 'church' in our problem; they did their part and we thanked God.

If we don't ask, we already know the answer, but when we ask, we glorify our Father in heaven. We show our faith and dependence on Him.

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."

Symbols

Just as baptism or eating the bread and wine doesn't actually do anything, so it is with going to the elders for prayer and anointing.
There is nothing in the prayer itself--or the oil--but it is a symbol of our faith before our Father. An "appeal" to God.
As Peter says,  "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ"
Baptism represents our being washed and also Paul says it represents our dying and resurrection with Christ.
The bread represents Jesus' body. The wine represents Jesus' blood.
The oil represents the Holy Spirit being poured out on us.
The oil reminds us that we have been given the Holy Spirit as a pledge.
All the symbols remind us that we are eternally healed.

Let's decide today to do this often.
Yes, the elders and the rest of the church can pray from home, but God gave us a better way. Let's do as He has said.
I'll even take it a step farther and say: Let's go to the elders AND the entire local congregation and have the elders anoint the sick and pray while ALL are present.

Doesn't that give you goosebumps just picturing it?

That's not fair

"As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him."

What? I'm offended for this dude!

This guy was blind ALL his life just so Jesus could come along and do a little magic trick to impress his onlookers? Do you see that? It could be interpreted that way.

Or it could be interpreted that God is AWESOME. It is awesome that God chose to have mercy on this sinner at all!

Praise God when He heals AND when He doesn't.


Song of praise:
Can't contain my praise



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